P A L M S S a n k a r a l i n g a m & K h a n : P a l m y r a h p a l m s Vo lume 45 (2 ) 2001

PalmyrahPalms in TamilNadu, India

In Tamil Nadu, the districts of Tuticorin,Tirunelveli, Ramnad and Kanyakumari, adjacentto the Indian Ocean, are endowed with 10 millionpalmyrah palms (Sankaralingam et aL. 1999)(Fig.1). In these tracts the palm is cultivated andexploited in the wild, and referred to as'The Treeof Life' with 801 uses, including food, beverage,fibeq fodder, timber and medicines. Among thevarious edible uses of the palm, the sweet saptapped from the inflorescence for making palm

1. Borassus flabelliferin a dry landscape,Tamil Nadu.

India stands first in the world in terms of its wealth of palmyrah palms (Borassus

flabellifer) with a population estimated to be nearly IO2 million palms. Of this, 5oo/o of

the palms are concentrated in the southernmost state of Thmil Nadu, where palmyrah

is honored as the State Tree.

A. SeNxenaLrNGAM

Agricultural College and

Re s earch Institue, Killikulm,

Vallanad,628 252

Tamil Nadu, India

AND

H. HeN4eF,o KHaN

C entr al Plantation Crop s

Research Institute,

Kasaragod,671 124

Kerala, India

sugar is of prime importance. The endosperm ofthe young fruit, like tender coconut, is a delicacyin summer. The petiole fiber and leaf blade areused to make products such as brushes andhandicrafts. The tree serves as a source of rawmaterial for several cottage industries.

Palmyrah prefers a dry climate, growing naturallyin sandy plains adjacent to seashores (Fig. 2).T}:'emean annual rainfall in this area ranges from

PALMS 45(2):97-99 9 7

P , \ L M 5 S a n k a r a l i n g a m & K h a n : P a l m y r a h p a l m s Vo lume 45 (2 ) 2001

600-700 mm with temperatures in summer (April,May) ranging from 35-40" C. However, the palmis not suited only to dry climates. It flourisheswell under wetter conditions such as on the banksof the perennial River Tambiraparani that runsthrough the two districts of Tirunelveli andTuticorin. On the riverbanks in fertile soils, thegroves take on the appearance of rain forest (Fig.3). The palm is so closely woven into the lifestylesof the people of the region that palmyrah fruitsare hung as decoration in marriage ceremonies asa symbol of prosperity and happiness.

Palmyrah has separate male and female trees. Sexcannot be differentiated until flowering. The palmis a slow grower compared to the coconut, whichis cultivated in areas with good irrigation. Thestem of palmyrah is visible only after 4-5 years.In contrast, some dwarf cultivars of the coconutbegin bearing at 4-5 years. Palmyrah needsminimum care, and if protected by fencing fromstray cattle feeding on its foliage, the palm cancome into flower and fruit within 10-12 years.Otherwise, it may take 20-25 years for the palmto flower.

Fig. 2. Palmyrah palms flourishing on sandy soil with afemale tree in the foreground.

The palmyrah stem is unbranched, usuallygrowing to a height of 15-20 m, topped by 25-30large fan-shaped leaves. However, there are dwarfpalms that come into bearing even at a height of4 m. The male palm produces 5-10 inflorescenceseach year. The male inflorescence is heavilybranched with each branch having 2-3 spikes.Each spike has 800-1000 flower clusters, whichin turn bear 15-20 little flowers. As a whole, amale inflorescence may have 200,000-250,000florets. In contrast, the female inflorescence hasonly 2-3 branches, with each branch bearingIO-I2 Iarge, globose flowers. Normally a femalepalm produces 5-8 inflorescences with a total of100-150 fruits. However, trees close to watersources may bear nearly 300-400 fruits (Fig. 4).The fruits are generally black-skinned, but red-skinned types also occur.

These palmyrah-growing tracts receive one healymonsoon during October-November. Floweringis seasonal, and fruiting occurs in September-October. In nature, the fully-ripe, hea'uy fruits falldown and become buried in the soil. The rainfallreceived during the season facilitates germination.The fruits are normally 3-seeded and when all ofthem germinate from a single fruit, they give riseto three palms. Clumps of 2*3 palms are acommon sight in the area.

Palmyrah is one of the major sources of palm sugarin Asian countries. The palm is planted onreservoir and lake banks to stabilize them. It isalso planted on rice field margins to demarcatethem. The palm does not need much water,requires very little maintenance and it is highlydisease resistant. It stabil izes unproductive,erosion-prone soils. It can be planted in any typeof soil to increase soil ferti l i ty and waterconservation. It is used as a wind-break in sandyplains to stabil ize dunes. Palmyrah is truly amultipurpose palm.

LrrlnarunE Crrp,p

SaNranarlNcelr, A., G. HEMALATHA, eNt A. MonatrEoAu. 1999. A treatise on palmyrah.Hameed Khan,H. (Ed). All India coordinated Research Projecton Palms, Agricultural College and ResearchInstitute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,Killikulam, 628252, Tamil Nadu, India, 41 p.

9 8

PALMS Sanka ra l i ngam & Khan : Pa lmy rah pa lms Vo lume 45 (2 ) 2001

: -o# ._- - , -

=..=.:::==

- l :

:

Fig. 3 (top) Palms of dif ferent ages growing wild on the banks of the River Tambiraparani. Fig. 4 (bottom). A female palm

bearing 300-400 fruits at maturi ty.

9 9